Community is not just part of our name, it is at the heart of everything we do at THCH. In the past year, we have worked hard to ensure our residents continue to receive the best opportunities possible. Whether that be by securing grants, sponsorship or delivering events, we continue to look for ways to empower our Tower Hamlets community.
There are four ways that we believe we can maximise the positive impact we can have locally.
This is set out in our recently launched Community Development Strategy which aims to support financial inclusion and improve the employability of our residents; improve the health and wellbeing of residents; work with young people in our communities and empower these communities to do great things. The 2016/17 Impact Report highlights our activities and shows the positive impact of our community investment.
Over the last year we have seen over 4,500 people attend events that THCH has delivered or supported. In the same period, we received £2,287 in sponsorship and secured £3,279 in grants. These levels of investment allowed events such as Taal Torongo’s Bengali New Year and Shadwell FC’s Summer Football Project to take place. These are just two of the wide ranging activities that we have facilitated.
Five groups provide advice and guidance to help people of all ages increase their employability. Last year we supported the delivery of SIA security training, which has aided 35 people gain employment. In addition, 46 local residents gained employment via Employment First, a drop-in service which helps
people find work.
In 2016/17 almost 21,000 hours of activities took place from our 7 community centres, an increase over the previous financial year and this report details those activities both by category and by community centre.
We wouldn’t be able to support the wide range of activities from our centres if it wasn’t for the vast army of volunteers, and we would like to thank the 159 volunteers who helped organise and run the groups within our communities. The range of activities on offer is a tribute to the passion and diversity of our community and we will continue to look for ways in which we can support them moving forward.
In 17/18 we will continue to build upon this work and continue to work with our community groups and residents to build their capacity to do more and strengthen links with partners that can support our work.
To discuss our community development work and our community centres in greater detail, please get in touch with us.
You can read the full report here